Flash Fanfiction - Episode 35 - Game On!
by Reign Atkins
Summary: The group are against a powerful strategic foe from the future, who has the powers and determination to take down Barry. They need to work out who he is and how to take him down... and No, it is not Eobard Thawne again...
1. Chapter 1

Barry raced into the cortex in the early morning with Caitlin and immediately got to work on Cisco's computer. He had received an emergency text from Joe that morning claiming that Iris was missing. Her bed hadn't been slept in, there were no signs of forced entry and the only clue was that her phone had been wiped and a messaged had been left on the black screen in green writing. 'Game On!'

"Whoever took her must be doing it for revenge. But, why?" Joe asked as he raced into the cortex with the phone in hand and handed it over to Barry. There was what looked like a portable charger still attached to it.

"I've notified the others." Caitlin said, "They should be…" before she could finish her sentence a breach appeared in the middle of the cortex and Astrid and Cisco arrived with coffee cups in their hands.

"Seriously, it's only five-fifteen in the morning… I just moved into Astrid's house… our house… last night and we don't even get a sleep in! We gave you guys a sleep in… hell, we gave you a day! Yeah that was before the official moving day, but still…" Cisco complained.

"Cisco, I'm guessing it's an emergency…" Astrid said, sleepily as she drank the last of her coffee, rested the cup on the table and stared at the group. "I've had one coffee… please, tell me it's an emergency, or we're breaching home, right now!"

"It's an emergency." Barry said, "Iris is missing." Cisco and Astrid stared at him unblinkingly.

"Are you sure that she didn't just go out late with friends or something?" Cisco asked.

Joe handed him the phone, "we need your input on this, Cisco."

Cisco drank the last of his coffee and studied the phone and the device that was connected to it.

"Game On?" he read. He unplugged the device from the phone and studied it. "Whoa… what is this thing?" he raced over to his work station, where he pulled the back off and began studying the tool.

"That was all that was left…" Joe said. "Iris wouldn't go anywhere without her phone, especially at night." The group ran over to Cisco who stared up at them with his answer. "You guys… I built this thing…" he stammered.

"You built it, Cisco?" Caitlin asked.

He stood beside them and held up the device with a magnifying glass to show them what he had seen. There was a small microscopic chip built into it.

"That chip there, it's my signature chip... only it's tiny!" Cisco exclaimed excitedly.

"But that's impossible, Cisco…" Barry argued, "That looks like… like nanotech…"

"But you've never even worked with nanotech…" Caitlin said, confused. "and why would they plant this device after taking Iris?"

"Yeah… I've never actually built this thing before either… not yet, anyway… but this… the whole structure, the craftsmanship… I know it… It's my own handiwork… and my work is pretty hard to replicate."

"Could it be a doppelganger?" Joe asked them.

"I mean, that's possible… but this is somewhat on a futuristic level. Like we're talking decades into the future… But why would they just leave it there?"

"The message said 'Game on!' Maybe they're toying with us…" Astrid said, "Whoever, it was knew that Iris and Joe are aware of who we all are. They knew that Joe would report this to STAR Labs before CCPD… They knew that Cisco would identify the tech as his own… We're talking about someone who knows us a personal level."

"…then a time traveler would be the perfect suspect." Harry's voice chimed startling them as they turned to see him standing in the door way. "A time traveler who you would trust with your deepest and darkest secrets…"

"I should have known… you're an evil DR Wells, aren't you?" Cisco snapped at him. "But how did you know my signature chip?"

"Ramon, don't be stupid. You all know time travelers… They've been in and out of here more times than you can count."

"He's talking about Sara Lance and the legends." Caitlin said.

"Yeah… but why would they want to hurt us?" Barry asked.

"…and why would they come after Iris?" Joe asked.

"I don't know, but I'm going to call them and find out!" Astrid snapped as she ran into her office to get in contact with the Waverider.

"I'll do the coffee run…" Barry replied, "It looks like we're all going to need one."

"Gideon. Can you put me through to the Waverider?" Astrid directed of the AI with her tablet in her hands as she sat in her office.

"Putting you through to Miss Lance right away, Miss Sutherland." Gideon replied, and as she did, Sara's face appeared on the tablet.

"Sutherland… it's been a while… Last I saw you, you were sixteen, right?" Sara asked with an overconfident smile.

"Haha, funny! That was only a few months ago… I remember everything… You also owe me a dance." Astrid replied. Just as Barry, Caitlin and Cisco entered her office.

"Yeah… You know I'll keep my word… Did you want to speak to Leonard and Mick? You know the whole rogue thing? I can go get them…"

"No… Probably not a good idea… I'm calling for a reason. Iris is missing…" Astrid said.

Sara stared at her with a confused expression on her face, "Iris…? Is that someone I should know? Or is this something I should know about? Why do you need my help?"

"We think that we might be dealing with a time traveler. They've left a clue… some sort of device that Cisco must have built in the future… it scrambled her phone and left a message on the screen."

"A message?"

"The message said 'Game on', it's like someone is toying with us."

Sara stared at Astrid with a serious expression across her face.

"Lance… I know that face… you know something. What's going on?"

"Look, I have to go…" Sara said abruptly.

"Sara! No! don't go!" Astrid demanded. But the link was severed. "Gideon… reconnect the line!" Astrid said.

"I'm sorry, miss Sutherland, but the link has been severed from the Waverider's end." Gideon replied.

"I figured!" Astrid sighed.

"Did anyone else get the hint that Sara was hiding something?" Barry asked, "Like she was concerned about telling us?"

"Yeah… But we know Sara... If it's big enough to have a major impact o our time, she wont say..." Caitlin asked.

"We don't need Sara!" Cisco said, "hey, Gideon… You pilot the Waverider, don't you?"

"That is somewhat correct, Mr Ramon. The Waverider has a platform built into it and is linked into my software." Gideon answered, just as Harry and Joe entered the office.

Cisco smiled. "Can you tell us what Sara Lance is hiding from us? Any relation to the words 'Game on'?"

"I am sorry, Mr Ramon… you do not have authority to retrieve that information from me."

"What? No, of course I do. Does Astrid have authority? What about Barry? I mean, he created you, didn't he?"

"Mr Allen, as my creator has full authority to access that information." Gideon answered.

"Close enough! Ask her, Barry!" Cisco replied.

"Okay Gideon. Where does the reference 'Game On' come from? Is it something that we should know? How does it relate to Sara Lance?"

"Game On was a regular saying that Mr Ramon adopted in the year 2032. It is possible that Miss Lance and the rest of the legends assisted the team at this time."

"Well, that's vague." Astrid said. "Maybe we are dealing with another doppelganger, but from the future… Or maybe, you actually go evil…" she said, staring at her fiancé.

"Another Eobard Thawne but of Cisco? Great!" Barry groaned.


	2. Chapter 2

While the group reentered the cortex, they had no idea that they were all being watched by someone who possessed enough power to stand right beside them, and compel them all not to see him.

As Paco's mother had taught him, strategy was always key to predicting your foe. It had served the team well for years, until the Flash had been his own undoing.

Sure, he had done so much good in his lifetime, saving Astrid twice was proof of his goodness. But where was the point in saving someone just to let them die in the end, anyway?

Paco watched the team, trying to determine who they were up against, he was predicting the best way to avoid the inevitable. He needed to be mindful that he didn't alter time so much that he wiped himself from existence… but at the same time, he needed Barry to die.

He would not hurt anyone else, it was Barry, and only Barry that he was after. He had heard about Eobard Thawne. The man who had gone back in time only to be trapped in the past and killed, soon after making a confession. Fortunately, this man would not fail. He knew a thing or two about time travel. Hell, he even possessed the skills to disrupt the speed force.

Paco watched as Astrid looked around the cortex. She noticed that something was off and she looked around as if she could sense him there. He remembered the times that he had played 'hide-n-seek' with his parents. He would compel them not to see him. But that had been so long ago. Right now he would give anything for his parents to find him.

"You guys!" Cisco exclaimed, "I think we're being watched!"

"What do you mean?" Barry asked. Cisco stood up and walked right to the spot where the man had been sitting. "He was right here! I just vibed it."

"Oh thank god!" Astrid exclaimed. "I thought I could sense something. It's probably Kent doing that stupid trick. Kent! Kent Nelson!" she called out.

"Sutherland… I don't think Kent's here." Harry said. "I haven't seen him since I've been back."

"Seriously, it surprises me how that man is never around… so much for trying to have a father daughter relationship." Astrid scoffed.

"You do realize that he is an Agent of Order. He can't just be around whenever you call him." Harry said sternly.

"But Daddy's always away on business." Astrid pretended to whine like a young girl, with an added smile at the end. Cisco placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled at her supportively.

"Maybe it was Evil Cisco." Caitlin wondered.

"Evil Cisco? Seriously, Caity?" Cisco exclaimed, "That's just bad… uh huh… not a good name… besides, I really doubt it's me. So what's our next theory… what about that guy Reverb? Maybe it's him."

"Okay… moving on from evil Cisco…" Joe said with a smirk. "Maybe we should get CCPD involved and see what they can come up with."

"Alright, we'll head there now." Barry said, as he used his speed to run with Joe over to CCPD, leaving Astrid, Cisco, Caitlin and Harry alone in the cortex.

Astrid ran her mind scan until she picked something up. "You guys… there is someone here. I just can't shake it… it's a different sort of thought pattern."

"What do you mean?" Caitlin asked.

"It's like with Grodd, and the other me from the mirrorverse… Wow… what if it's me?" she asked in shock.

"What do you mean? Why would you take Iris?" Caitlin asked her.

"I'm not sure… but, it would make sense. There was no sign of forced entry, it was almost as if she went willingly… Maybe, she compelled Iris to go with her. I would have easily have access to Cisco's technology… Plus, there's a strategy to whatever this game is… maybe it was to change the course of events in our time to benefit the future… Gideon, is there a time where I travel back through time to change the course of events?"

"No, Miss Sutherland. There has never been a time where you have specifically travelled back through time." Gideon replied.

"Well, do I ever go evil? Or does Cisco go evil and travel back through time?"

"No, Miss Sutherland, aside from Barry's alternate timeline which involved the Lords of Chaos, there has never been a time where you or Mr Ramon, as you would say 'go evil'. Nor does Mr Ramon travel back through time."

"Well, that's a shame!" Cisco said annoyed, "I meant the travelling back through time thing… not the evil thing…" he added as he saw everyone's eyes on him.

"Well, that rules out an evil Cisco and an evil Astrid." Caitlin said with a sigh.

"Let's go to Jitters." Astrid replied, in the same tone, "Maybe some time outside of the office will help us figure this one out."

"The three of you go on ahead," Harry said. "Just bring me back a double shot black espresso… I'm going to see what I can come up with back here."

"Double shot black espresso? Perfect representation of your heart, Harry." Cisco joked, "But, anyway, suit yourself." He left with the girls.

When Harry knew that he could not be overheard, he slowly walked through the cortex. "I know you're here. The group even know you're here. You should just give up this charade and come out."

Paco manipulated DR Wells' mind to allow the doctor to see him. He knew all about Harry and everything that he had accomplished. But, he also knew that the man had a temper, and he could be a strategic and ruthless killer if necessary. He had taught Astrid a lot.

Harry and Paco stared at each other for what seemed like a long time, neither one of them speaking a word, until Harry broke the silence.

"Do I know you?" Harry asked him.

Paco remained quiet.

"Does my team know you?" Harry asked.

Paco still remained silent, as Harry waited for an answer.

It was clear that DR Wells was getting annoyed with being on the receiving end of the silent treatment. Paco gave a slight smile, but still said nothing.

"I'm guessing that that's a yes… So where are you keeping Detective West's daughter?"

"It's a game, isn't it?" Paco finally said. "We sacrifice one pawn to get the rest of the pieces out of hiding."

"So who's side are you playing for? What is your motive?" Harry asked. Paco smiled again, and there was something to his smile that made Harry realize just who he was dealing with.

"I've given you an answer to one of your questions. I'm sure that a genius like you can work out the rest." He replied, as he opened a breach and stepped through, disappearing from Harry's sight.


	3. Chapter 3

Paco stood in the middle of the office in CCPD watching the bustle of officers at work. Still, no one could see him standing there. He noticed Captain Singh heading towards his office it brought back many memories of his childhood; being brought here and watching the excitement of the police officers and uncle Barry at work as the Flash.

CCPD always had the Flash's back, which included Captain Singh.

Paco watched as Barry and Joe stormed into Captain Singh's office and closed the door behind them. He channeled his mind reading to overhear their conversation through the walls.

"Iris is missing!" Joe exclaimed. "We suspect that she has been taken!"

"Are you suspecting a non meta-human?" Captain Singh asked.

"We're not sure." Barry replied, "We need to exhaust all our options. Astrid and the rest of the team are doing everything that they can do, but so far the most we've come up with is someone who has travelled back from time."

"A time traveler, Allen? How long has Iris been missing for?" Captain Singh asked.

"Since last night." Joe replied.

Captain Singh rested his hands together. "Joe, she needs to be considered missing for at least twenty-four hours before…"

"…Singh, I know protocol!" Joe yelled, as he slammed his fist down on the desk, "…Hell, I have used that line a million times in this job! But, this is my daughter that we're talking about! You and I both know what is out there… The Flash and the rest of the team are doing everything that they can, all I ask is that you help us exhaust our options in the search for my daughter… what would you do, if you had a kid that went missing? I'm damn sure that you would stop at nothing to get them back!"

David Singh stared at Joe and said nothing for a brief moment. He was considering the options. "So tell me again when Iris went missing?" he asked. Barry and Joe both knew that that was his cue of leading the search at that minute.

Paco shook his head, David Singh had always been such a softie. He had a real tough exterior, but the man had a heart of gold.

"Hey, who are you? I don't think I've ever seen you before." A female officer asked him. He had realized that his slight lapse in emotion had distracted him from holding up his compulsion over the entire precinct. Someone had seen him.

Paco turned to see who had spoken to him. A blonde officer. "Oh, I'm just visiting… I'm just a relation of David Singh." Paco replied. As he noticed Joe and Barry leave the captain's office.

"Oh, I'm detective Spivot… Did you want me to accompany you to the Captain's office? I'm on my way there now."  
"No… I have to go." Paco said abruptly, as he fled after Barry and Joe out of the precinct.

Patty entered Captain Singh's office. "I might have just met one of your relatives, Captain." She said as she entered the room.

"One of my relatives? What do you mean?" he asked her a little puzzled, "What did he look like?"

"Handsome, dark hair, dark eyes… roughly thirty years of age, he looked somewhat Hispanic and a really peculiar fashion sense... I didn't realize you had any relatives that…"

Captain Singh stared at her and stood up abruptly, "I don't! Where did he go?" he asked her. Patty pointed in the direction as they left the captain's office. "He hurried after Detective West and Barry… Why?" she asked him.

"I think we just found our kidnapper!" Captain Singh said, he brought his phone to his ear and immediately rang Barry.

"Kidnapper?" Patty asked him.

"Barry… I think you and Joe need to return, asap. I have a hunch about something. I think detective Spivot might have just seen the kidnapper."

Barry and Joe returned almost as quickly as they had left. Patty was already giving a description to the forensic artist, who printed out the picture and handed it to Barry.

"Have any of you ever seen this guy?" Captain Singh asked him.

"No, I've never seen him before." Joe said.

"Me neither. I can always run it through STAR Labs. Astrid knows a lot of people and she has a photographic memory, she would be our best bet." Barry said.

"While you do that, I can check over with the Picture News… It couldn't hurt asking around where she works." Joe replied.

Barry returned back to STAR Labs with the picture in hand to show the group.

"Astrid, have you ever seen this guy?" He asked, as he showed her the picture of the man.

Astrid stared at the image, there was a familiarity to him that she couldn't register. Her memory was much more than photographic, since her second coma. She could pinpoint every memory as clear as day since the day that she had been born with every detail.

"No… He looks familiar… but… I don't know him." She said. "Cisco, Caitlin, Harry. Does this guy look familiar to any of you?"

Caitlin smiled and said, "He kind of looks like Cisco, just a bit."

"I think I would know if I had a cousin who looked like that. Has the man ever heard of a razor… he needs to shave." Cisco joked.

"I don't know. It kind of suits him." Caitlin replied.

"You guys…" Astrid interrupted. "Not the time… Harry, what about you? Have you ever seen him?"

Harry paused as he stared at the picture. It was certainly the same man as before, but he wondered if this was all part of the same game that he hadn't quite worked out yet. "No, Astrid. I've never seen him before." He lied. Astrid stared at him, she knew that he was lying, but she let it go, for the time being.


	4. Chapter 4

While Cisco ran a scan of the mug shot on his computer, Astrid spoke to Harry in his office and Barry searched the city looking for the man. It was as if he had absolutely disappeared.

"You've seen him, Harry. Why did you lie?" Astrid demanded.

Harry closed his door and faced Astrid. "Gideon… can you switch on the anti-telepath software for this office?" he called out.

"You installed software in my building to ensure that I couldn't read your mind?" Astrid snapped.

"No, your fiancé did… and right now, we need it. The man we are dealing with has been watching us. All of us. You were correct with your assumptions that this is some sort of game. But the question is, why?"

"Have you figured it out, yet?" she asked him.

"For once, I'm not sure. But I also believe that you were right with your assumptions. He knows us all personally. He has traits of all of us. I saw him… he allowed for me to see him, before he breached out of here."

"Breached out of here? So, he's a breacher? But his mental activity…"

"…is also that of a telepath. Yes, precisely."

"But, that's not possible… How could…" her sentence was interrupted by Caitlin barging into the office. "You guys have to come quickly!" she said.

They ran out after her and she led them to her desk where Cisco was holding up a post-it note.

"What's that, Cisco?" Astrid asked, as he handed the small pink piece of paper to her.

"What's going on?" Barry asked as he arrived into the cortex. He stared at the post-it note. The word 'Check' was clearly written on it.

"I just found it here when I returned to my desk. What's it supposed to mean?" Caitlin asked.

"It's all part of the game." Astrid said.

"He's playing chess with us." Harry said.

"Well, that will explain why he gave Iris back!" Barry informed them.

"He what?" They all asked in unison.

"Joe just called. Iris is safe at home. The most she could tell us is that the profile matches his description, he was a breacher and a telepath. and he didn't hurt her." Barry explained.

"That just doesn't make any sense." Astrid said, shaking her head. "Why would he take her, hide her and send us on a search, just to let her go… did she say where he took her?"

"That's the thing… it was to a pocket dimension. But it didn't sound like the one that we went to before the Flashpoint. It was somewhere else."

"It's all part of the game… sacrifice one pawn to get the rest of the pieces out of hiding." Harry repeated Paco's earlier words. "He wants us to think we're winning to put us all to work."

"But what for?" Caitlin wondered.

"Wow, That's such a typical move… he's distracting us… from what's really in front of us!" Cisco exclaimed.

"It gives him a chance to make his next move." Barry said. "But we'll be ready for him."

"Let's list the things we already know…" Astrid said, as she made haste for the large white board. She erased what was already on there and brought up a marker. "Taking Iris was a distraction. Using Cisco's tech, was a clue. He's a telepath, a breacher… Maybe someone from the future… And he's playing a very frustrating game with us… he's either very childish… or very strategic."

Caitlin joked as she held up the portrait, "Maybe he's yours and Cisco's child from the future… I mean, he kind of looks like you both… I bet if you ran one of those programs where you merge your faces together… he would probably look something like this."

"Caitlin, not the time for jo… hey, she's right!" Cisco said, "Look… he even has your chin, Astrid."

Astrid placed her palm to her forehead. "You guys… we need to be serious! Whoever this man is, he's bad news. I didn't even think it was possible for one person to be both a breacher and a telepath, is it Snow?"

"Well, it is actually rather fascinating." Caitlin said, "…I mean if we take Cisco's ability… he receives visions, which in a sense is a telepathic ability and he can also manipulate vibrations, which is what makes him a breacher. So, I'm guessing it could be possible… I'd have to study this man's genetic makeup. But for someone with such power, you're right… he could be very dangerous… and he could also be very, very powerful. We're talking about a whole new type of meta-human."

"Look at you all…" Paco said as he stood in the middle of the cortex demanding their attention. "…The team working hard to figure out just who they're up against. I have to say, I kinda miss it."

"Who are you!" Barry demanded as he stood face to face with the man. "Why did you take Iris? Was it to mess with us?"

"Well, if it isn't the Flash, well, Barry Allen…" Paco said with a smile. "I've done nothing wrong. Iris is fine… She was pretty excited that she got to see a cool new world. It gives her something to write about."

"Hey man…" Cisco said as he approached them. "I get you like your games… But, I really don't get the whole chess thing you got going on… Have you ever tried playing a video game? I mean the VR's pretty cool… But, i bet they probably have something a little more futuristic in your time..."

"My biggest hero, Cisco Ramon… isn't that another name for… never mind, it's not important." Paco said with a smile. Before Cisco or Barry could continue he stepped towards Caitlin, Harry and Astrid.

"Dr Caitlin Snow… Honestly, you and Barry make a really cute couple… I ship the both of you. Dr Harry Wells… Still keeping secrets, I see… and… Astrid…" he said looking down at her.

"You're trying to read my mind. It's not going to work… you taught me everything I know. You all did… But, we've all seen Star Wars…" Paco looked over at Cisco. "…I guess the Padawan has become the Jedi Master." Before the group could do anything, he breached and disappeared before their eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

"Whoa…" Cisco stammered.

"Yeah… that was unexpected." Barry agreed.

"I get that this guy is supposed to be the enemy… but, he's pretty kickass!" Cisco said.

"I don't think that he's the enemy, Cisco… Everything he just said has some sort of meaning to it." Barry replied. "he just gave us more clues and left."

"More clues?" Caitlin wondered. "Or more setbacks?"

"Harry, you were right when you said he has the traits of all of us…" Astrid said, "We must have been his heroes, his role models. We've clearly failed him somehow… He told Barry that Iris was fine. He didn't want to hurt her. Cisco is another name for…"

"…For Paco." Cisco replied.

"Yeah… and he ships Caitlin and Barry… that has to have some meaning for the future… and Harry… clearly he knows you too well, too. There are no coincidences to any of this… and that damn Star Wars reference… He seems to be the product of us all…" Astrid explained.

"But what about what he said to you, Astrid. You taught him everything he knew. That could be the way to figure out why he's here." Barry replied.

"I think what Caitlin said earlier might have been correct." Cisco said, "Maybe, he is our son…"

Astrid shook her head sadly, "So, why has he come back? And why is he toying with us? Don't tell me we raised a psychopath!"

"No, I don't think either of you would ever allow for that to happen." Barry replied, as he placed his hand on Astrid's shoulder to comfort her. "I'm going to go with the theory that we have failed him somehow… whatever it is, we need to fix it, and first we need to find him."

"This is all part of his game!" Harry said, speaking up for the first time in a while. "when he came to me earlier, he said that I'd figure it out… He knows that we will want to lure him out and change things…"

"He came to you earlier?" Cisco asked, but he let it slide. "So… what are you saying that we do?"

"I'm saying, Ramon, that we don't give him the attention that he wants. We wait him out and watch if he slips up." Harry said.

"But… What if that's what he's expecting us to do? Take your advice and wait him out?" Cisco asked.

"Astrid… you taught him everything he knows…" Caitlin said," What do you think we should do?"

"We work as a team. We do both. We get his attention, but we don't go in on the offense."

"What do you mean?" Barry asked her.

"Well, we still don't know what his agenda is... he could be simply trying to get us prepared for something that is yet to come… In fact, we're probably the ones who sent him here. It's about considering how we think in the future." Astrid said.

"What happens to us in the future? do we become assholes or something?" Cisco asked.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to give a reference like that, Cisco." Astrid said staring at him.

"You have to admit, you kinda set me up for that one." Cisco replied.

"Even so, we all know that travelling back through time is risky. Why would we send your kid?" Barry asked, he felt weird saying the words 'your kid' as soon as they had come from his mouth.

"Maybe things are different in the future. Maybe that's why he is playing us this way… I don't know… but that's the most that I can come up with. Unless any of you have a better idea?" Astrid replied.

"I'm with you, Astrid." Barry replied.

"Always." Caitlin added. Cisco nodded in agreement, while DR Wells left for his office to come up with his own plan, in case Astrid's was set to fail.

As Astrid and Cisco worked on a plan to bring the man back out of hiding, Caitlin and Barry spoke in Caitlin's medical bay. "Do you really think it could be their kid?" Caitlin asked him.

"I'm not sure. But you have to admit, the likeness is pretty uncanny." Barry answered.

"It's scary, thinking about the next generation… and about kids." Caitlin said, but Barry could tell that there was something else on her mind.

"I'm getting the feeling that this is less about them having a kid who's come back from the future and more about something that's going on with you, Caitlin." Barry took her hand as he spoke.

"It is. I don't mean to bring down the moment, but do you remember when I manufactured the vaccine for Harry's speed serum?"

"Yeah… Frost's cells counteracted the speed cells, stopping the process. Why? What does this have to do with anything?"

"Barry, you're a scientist… deep down you know what it means."

"Didn't Cisco say something about if we ever had kids they wouldn't be speedsters?"

"Yeah… but there's a little more to it than that… I think that you should know." She looked away as she continued speaking to him, "…While Frost's cells inhibit my body, there's a chance that you and I will never…"

"…will never be able to have children." Barry said, finishing her sentence and understanding her saddened demeanor.

Caitlin nodded, "I just thought that you should know. But, I can see you with children, Barry. You would make an amazing father. So, if that's a deal breaker…"

Barry smiled at her reassuringly and held her tight. He kissed her on the forehead, "No, Caitlin, it's not a deal breaker, I love you and nothing will ever change that… I just want you to know."

Caitlin held him tightly, wishing and praying that he was right. But as happy as he made her, she felt that just like Romeo and Juliet, they were doomed from the start.

"Hey, you guys!" Cisco called out to them excitedly.

"Yeah?" Barry asked as he and Caitlin joined him and Astrid at the work desk.

"Well, my lovely fiancé here…" Cisco said, "...seriously, I love using that word… well, she came up with a brilliant idea."

Astrid who was sitting on top of the work desk beside him, took the reign of the conversation, "Do you guys remember when I was kidnapped with Grodd and I was able to send images into Cisco's head causing him to receive a vibe of where I was?" she asked Barry and Caitlin.

"You're proposing we do the same thing with this guy…" Barry said.

"Exactly… maybe we could send him a message, to provoke him to lure him out..."

"But what if he hurts somebody?" Caitlin asked.

"I would like to believe that any child of mine would not intentionally cause harm to anyone…"

"He didn't hurt Iris, when he could have…" Cisco said, "Let's take that as a test of faith… that this guy isn't the Kylo Ren of our family."

Astrid tried to hold back a laugh as she continued on with her plan. "This message, it has to be powerful as this guy is very mentally strong… Strong enough to keep me out of his head. It's going to take a lot of mental energy. If we manage to lure him out, we're going to need to cuff him immediately afterwards… Barry, that's where you come in… then we can try and reason with him."

"Cuff him, Leia?" Cisco asked, "…and this is going to be the mother of my children… well, is the mother of my child?… Damn, this is confusing as hell!"

Caitlin and Barry gave them a polite smile. They decided to keep the conversation that they had just had between themselves. Their friends seemed too excited about the aspect of having kids to lay their news on them now.


	6. Chapter 6

Cisco placed what looked like a high-tech metal head band, with wires attached to it, onto Astrid's head. "Now, this will work like a satellite and will hopefully magnify your brainwaves when you send the message to his mind." He explained.

"Hopefully?" she asked a little unsure.

"Hey, it took me two hours to build it, hope is all we have right now…"

"I mean… what are the side effects?" she asked.

Cisco smiled comfortingly at her, "do you really think that I would risk your mental stability after everything we've gone through?" he asked. He stepped towards Barry and Caitlin, "if she starts convulsing, Barry pull the plug… Caitlin, be ready!"

"I heard that Cisco!" Astrid snapped.

"It was a joke. Trust me… but really..." he added the last bit under his breath to Caitlin and Barry.

"Alright… are you sure you're up for this, Astrid?" Barry asked her.

"As long as it's going to work…" she replied.

Suddenly, Harry reentered the cortex to see what they were doing. "What the hell is going on here, Ramon!" he yelled.

"Astrid's going to send him a message to his mind." Cisco replied.

"…and you're using that… that thing? Look at everything that she has gone through! She was in a coma, and we're lucky she woke up with all her marbles in place! Are you really that stupid, Ramon!" DR Wells demanded.

"Get off his case!" Astrid yelled. "This was my plan and unless you have a better idea, get the hell out of my office!" Harry stared at her, "Then you're clearly nothing but a suicidal fool!" he said under his breath.

He turned and stormed out of the cortex, smashing one of Cisco's toy models onto the floor on his way out. Seeing the toy model crumble, pissed Cisco off, but he said nothing.

Astrid took a deep breath, "that man… he gets me so angry that I wonder why we brought him back in the first place!… But anyway, are we doing this or not?" she asked. Caitlin, Barry and Cisco stared at her, they had been prepared to put an end to the plan.

"Okay… but we'll be ready just in case…" Caitlin said.

"I trust Cisco enough to know that this thing will work." Astrid replied.

Cisco directed everyone else to stand back, while he switched the headband on. Astrid closed her eyes and laid down on the med bay bed, and mentally searched for the mind of the man that they were looking for.

She opened the link immediately, when she found what she was looking for. 'We've figured out who you are. So come out and tell us your plan.' She ordered him from her mind.

'Well done. It took your time.' Was the reply.

'So why all the games?' she asked.

'Why do you think?'

As Astrid continued to send telepathic messages to the man, she became lost in her own mind.

"Cisco, was that supposed to happen?" Caitlin asked, referring to the fact that it seemed that Astrid's mind was no longer in her body.

"I'm not actually sure." Cisco replied, confused.

Caitlin checked Astrid's reflexes. There were none, fortunately she was still alive.

"I think Harry was right!" Barry exclaimed. "Cisco, maybe you should take that thing off her now."

"I can't… it's channeling her neurons. If we do, the damage could be irreversible." He said in a panic.

"Barry, he's right! We don't want to risk it! Besides, her eyes are in a state of REM. I think it's working, she seems to be communicating with someone."

"Then what do we do? Just wait?" Barry asked.

"Yeah… we wait." Cisco replied.

As the group were distracted by Astrid's state of unconsciousness, Paco used that time to breach into the cortex.

"Don't worry, she's just sleeping. She'll be fine." He told the group.

"What did you do?" Barry demanded.

"Hey, the most I did was keep her from getting hurt. We all know that she won't be able to stop herself from defending her friends. She's the last person on earth that I'd want to hurt. So, her in a sleeping state is the best thing for her."

"So, what's your plan, Kylo Ren? Take mommy out of the fight and kill the rest of us?" Cisco demanded.

"Not exactly… Sleep, dad. Sleep, aunty Caity!" as he said those words, both Cisco and Caitlin fell unconscious to the floor leaving only Barry and Paco awake in the room.

Before Barry could cuff him, Paco sent a mind scream into his head, crippling him over and then sent a vibrational blast at the speedster, inhibiting his powers and regeneration.

"Uncle Barry… you are the one that I need to remove from existence… I can't have you making the same mistakes twice!"


	7. Chapter 7

"What do you want from me?" Barry groaned, from on the floor, as Paco stood over him. "What do I do in the future? Just tell me so I can fix it."

"I wish it were that simple, uncle Barry... Really I do... if it were… I'd tell you, and we could both settle this like men and that would be the end of it! But it isn't that easy. But I will say this… it's because of you that everyone around us dies… It's because of you, that our families die. Everyone you have ever loved… That I have ever loved… dies." The man was filled with so much raw emotion as he spoke, he had clearly hit a nerve with Barry.

Barry looked over at Caitlin, then at Astrid and Cisco. Paco had clearly read his mind, "Yes, Barry… they're the first to go… then Iris. She dies in your arms. My mother had a purpose… but she died to protect you from your own stupid mistake!"

"So what? Are you saying that I, in my own grief, sent you back in time to stop me?"

"No… but there was nothing that you could do to hold me back… Has your speed regenerated yet? I will not fight you while you're sittling weakly on the floor."

Barry shook his head. It hadn't. "What's the point? You said that you wanted to remove me from existence… Now, would be the best time to do so. You're stalling."

"I'm not stalling!" Paco yelled, throwing another blast at him, which threw him back into the desk and only slowed down his regeneration all the more.

"You're lying. You have the same tell as Astrid." Barry coughed out splutters of blood. "You don't want to kill me. I know you don't."

"No, you're right… I don't want to kill you. But, if it wasn't for you… we wouldn't be alone. Do you realize that your children don't even want to know you?"

"My- My children?" Barry gasped.

"Yeah… you have children… but not with aunty Caity."

"With Iris…" Barry realized.

"Yeah…"

"You slipped up… you told me a secret of the future." Barry said.

"It wasn't a slip up… why do you think I told Caitlin what I said?"

"That you ship us?" Barry asked.

"Exactly! Regardless, even if I did slip up and say something that I shouldn't… I could always compel you to forget."

"Like you will do with you your parents and Caitlin after you kill me."

"Yeah… and everyone else around you. They will forget that you even existed… Just as you would want them to…"

Barry felt his speed regenerate, he managed to put up a wall in his mind to block out his thoughts and sped across the cortex to find Cisco's neuro blocker gear. He attached them to his ears before Paco had the chance to make his next attack.

"If you want to fight me… Let's do this away from STAR labs." Barry said, he had recovered fully.

"Yeah… or my mother will flip over the mess." Paco replied.

"You're also underestimating one thing…" Barry said, before he left, "…that if your father can vibe an entirely alternate universe before Flashpoint… the pair of them together could remember that their own son killed their best friend."

"Well, at least they would both be alive to remember!" Paco snapped back.

Barry put on his Flash suit and fled out of STAR labs, making his way towards Ferris Air field. Paco willed a vision to come, showing him where Barry was, and breached out of the cortex to meet him there.

Harry returned back to the cortex, where he found Cisco and Caitlin both unconscious on the floor and Astrid unconscious on the bed.

"Why don't they ever listen to me?" he snapped. He picked up a vial of a fowl smelling chemical from Caitlin's medical bay and held the opening under Cisco's nose.

"Seriously, you jerk… that smells like old socks!" Cisco snapped. "Wait, what happened?"

Harry assisted him to his feet and said, "Ramon, wake up Sutherland. Allen's missing!" He held the chemical under Caitlin's nose to wake her up too.


	8. Chapter 8

Paco shot a blast in Barry's direction, which fortunately, he dodged. So he sent two more, which once again missed the speedster. There was certainly a strategy to his attacks. Vibe, Mind Marvel and Frost appeared via breach ready to offer the Flash some assistance.

"Look… your parents are here." Barry said, as he noticed them arrive. As Barry was distracted it gave Paco the perfect opportunity to send a powerful blast that crippled and injured the speedster… this time more severe than before.

Before Paco could send another furious blast at the crippled speedster, Frost shot an ice blast between them, forming a wall and stopping the attack.

Cisco breached over to Barry to check on their friend, while Astrid tried to get into the man's head. She reached his mind for an instant, but as the link was closed off from Paco's end, he turned to face her. She wanted to send a mind scream to bring him down, but she just couldn't do it.

Frost shot an ice blast at the man, he saw it and breached out of the way, and reappeared again, only this time, behind her. He whispered to her to "sleep." And she dropped to her knees in a deep sleep once again.

As Vibe sat by Barry's side, Paco ran towards them with his hands up, "Step aside from him! I don't want to hurt you!" he yelled at Cisco.

"I'm not going to let you do that. You'll have to come through me first!" Vibe called back.

He could see the anger in the man's eyes. He had been emotionally scarred big time. "Why do you want to do this?" Vibe asked him. "Why kill him?"

"Get out of the way! Let me do this!" Paco demanded of him. He knew that Cisco would not stand aside, so he had to take matters into his own hands. He sent a mind scream into Cisco's head, distracting him, then breached to the other side of Barry. Before Cisco could stop him, Paco grabbed Barry and breached away from Cisco.

"Did you just see what he did?" Cisco cried out to Astrid.

"He isn't going to hurt us, Cisco!" Astrid said as she ran to Cisco's aid. She was trying to predict where Paco would reappear.

When he finally appeared again, he threw Barry up against the dumpster and continued to punch into him angrily.

"What do we do?" Vibe asked Mind Marvel.

"Breach us over there. You tend to Barry… I'll deal with him." Astrid ordered.

Vibe did as she said, and as they reappeared, Astrid pushed Paco away from their friend and stood between them. He went to send another blast at Barry.

Astrid stared up into his eyes. He was clearly older than them by a few years, but once again she saw nothing but the uncanny resemblance between them. He looked so much like his father, with her own features blended in. But there was an anger to him that almost mirrored her own.

'Stop!' Astrid thought to him telepathically. 'Whatever has you this angry, let it go.'

He stared at her.

"Astrid… Barry's really hurt." Cisco whispered to her. "He's not regenerating."

'Why are you hurting him?' Astrid asked the man telepathically.

His voice entered her mind. 'I don't want to hurt you. But Barry must suffer for everything he has done. I cannot let him get away with it!'

Astrid's heart sank. 'Death is never the answer.'

'Coming from you that's a laugh…'

'I've never killed anyone. What are you talking about?'

There was a break in the man's expression. It told her everything she needed to know.

Suddenly, an ice blast came flying towards the man. He was too distracted to notice.

'Duck!' Astrid told him telepathically. He dived out of the way on her command and disappeared through a breach.

"Frost!" Astrid called out, "Help Barry. Vibe come with me!"

"Where are we going?" he asked her.

"We're going home." She replied.

"Home? Why…?"

"Just breach us there… now." She said in a hurry. Vibe did as she commanded and they saw the man standing in their living room. Cisco went to send a blast in his direction out of anger, but Astrid stopped him. Paco didn't move, he continued to stare at them both.

"We need to cuff him. He's right there…" Cisco said, confused.

"We're not going to." Astrid argued.

"Why? He's already proven how dangerous he is."

Astrid wouldn't answer. 'Of course you knew to come here, of all places.' She told the man.

'Why not? It's our home.'

It dawned on Cisco that he and Astrid were not in danger. It gave him a moment to fully take in the man's features and see him as his own son. He raised his eyebrows and held his breath. "Great Scott!" he exclaimed. "Serious Back to the Future moment right here!"

Paco smirked at Cisco, humored by his reference, and then stared back at Astrid. 'I need to do this. Barry needs to die… before he gets too powerful. Please, I'm not the villain. But you, dad and aunty Caity… I can't let him get away with it… I just need to do this.'

"What's he saying, Astrid?" Cisco whispered.

'But this is not the way. We can help you find another way.' Astrid told the man telepathically, ignoring Cisco's question.

'You sound just like Barry… Yet, it's because of him that all of this has happened… Because of what he's done, so many people have lost their lives… He's such a hypocrite… he tells people that killing is never the way… yet if it wasn't for him… so many people would be alive, now!' the link closed off as he crumbled to his feet.

"A second ago he was trying to kill us… so do we comfort him or…?" Cisco stammered.

Astrid ran towards Paco and offered her shoulder for him to cry into, As Cisco placed his hand awkwardly on the man's back.

"I get that you're angry." Astrid spoke out loud. "But we won't let you hurt Barry. He's our friend."

The man took a deep breath. "You don't understand!" he snapped. "None of you do!"

"So explain it to us." Cisco said. "What the hell is going on?"

The man stood tall and stared at him, as Astrid too got to her feet. He addressed them both, though looked at his father as he spoke, "Dad… You, mom and aunty Caity will die for Barry's mistakes!"

"Dad?" Cisco stammered trying to process the word. It still sounded strange being addressed to him, especially by a man who looked physically older than him.

"If this has to do with DR Fate… and the gods… and me… don't blame this on Barry! It's not his fault." Astrid said.

"Like you've done for such a long time?" he scoffed at her.

Cisco grinned, "Don't talk to your mother that way." He said, reveling in the moment.

The man took a breath, and spoke calmly again. "No… that's not it… I needed to get back here, to stop him before he…" there was so much anger in his voice. He stopped speaking.

He shook his head and went to form a breach, but Astrid grabbed his arm. "What does he do?" she pleaded. The man shook his head. He wouldn't even tell her telepathically. He put up the wall in his mind so she wouldn't get to his thoughts. Something that she had clearly taught him to do time and time again.

"You can tell us." Cisco said, "what does Barry do? We can stop him before he does it."

"It's pretty ironic how the man who is so obsessed with science fiction movies, is asking me to tell him what the future holds… that's time travel rule number one… I can't say and you know I can't."

"You've already broken the rules by revealing to us who you are." Astrid replied. He gave a brief smile in response.

Suddenly, Barry and Frost both arrived. Frost sent a blast straight for him. "No!" Astrid and Cisco both screamed in unison. But the man opened a breach in front of himself and the blast went right through it.

"Ha… that's one of my moves…" Cisco smirked as he stood in front of the man, blocking Frost from sending another attack.

"Why the sudden change of plans?" Frost asked them, "Don't we need to apprehend him?"

"No, we're not going to." Astrid said. She looked over at Barry, wondering what the man was going to do in the future to anger their son.

The man stared at Barry, he felt the anger build up within him and he couldn't help himself. His anger fueled him. With Cisco standing in front of him, he sent an energy blast that bypassed his father and struck the speedster.

"Not again!" Cisco sighed.

Astrid grabbed her son by the shoulders, turned him around and stared into his eyes, angrily. 'Let go of your anger.' She compelled him. 'Let go of it all. Be happy. Please. Death is not the answer!'

He broke out of his trance like state, his mother's compulsion had worked. But he also knew that he had no reason left to be standing there. A tear formed just under his eye. "I love you, mom, dad… aunty Caity… and even uncle Barry… but the four of you will forget all of this." He compelled all of them at once.

As they were still in a trance state, he took one last look around and breached out of the house.


	9. Chapter 9

Harry sat in his office, when just as he had expected, Paco breached in there.

"Something tells me you didn't come here to whine about your defeat. You have something else up your sleeve, don't you?" Harry asked him, Paco had just closed the door so the two could speak in privacy.

"That would be correct. Because, I still have an ace up my sleeve, and I know that with the technology that my father applied to this office, that no one can overhear our conversation."

"You compelled them all to forget you. Iris, Joe and most likely CCPD too, didn't you? I can't imagine how hard that must have been."

Paco nodded, "By the time they come to, it will be like today never happened… My powers are far stronger than my father's I don't think even he will be able to vibe this one… Which gives me the opportunity to ask a favor of you."

"A favor? What are you asking of me, Ramon… junior?" Harry asked him, confused as to how to address the man.

Paco let out a small laugh at the nickname, but continued, nonetheless "There is a vial of serum in your vault. You need to give it to Wally."

"You need me to turn him into Kid Flash, don't you?"

"I do… But while that's not the way he was supposed to get his powers… We need him to be faster than Barry. We need him to stop Barry. That vial contains the speed of so many different speedsters… it's our final hope to stop the Flash."

"Why? What will Barry do?"

"I can't answer that… but if you love this team as much as I think you do… you will stop at nothing to keep them safe… Even if the one thing that needs to be done, is the one thing that will break their trust in you." Paco said lowering his head to the floor.

"Are you sure that the answer lies with Wally?" Dr Wells asked him, studying every one of his characteristics.

Paco pursed his lips together and nodded. "I could have killed him myself… but they're right! I can't stop him. But Wally can. Provided he is fast enough."

"You asking this of me, must mean that the speed force is running through his blood."

"Yes, it is! When he drank that replica of the serum, it cured him... but there were still traces of the speed cells running through his veins. He still has the speed force within him… If he drinks that serum… the Kid Flash will be the fastest man alive… and after what Barry does to all those around him… We're desperate."

"…And how do you suppose I carry this out?"

"For the smartest man that I have ever had the pleasure in knowing… I'm sure that you'll think of something…" Paco smiled at Harry and breached back to his own time, in hopes that he had changed the future for the good.

Harry on the other hand walked over to the picture on his wall. He requested that Gideon open the vault, from which he pulled out the speed serum.

He pocketed the speed serum, as he could hear the group arriving into the cortex in high spirits. "Hey what the hell happened to my DeLorean model?" Cisco whined, clearly having forgotten the entire day.

Harry walked out into the cortex to greet them. "Hey, Harry… did you see what happened to my model?" Cisco asked him.

"No, I didn't see what happened to your toy, Ramon…" Harry replied.

"How could you be so careless to call it a toy… that's just… that's just… not right!"

"So what took the lot of you so long to come into work today?" Harry asked them.

"We're all still exhausted from moving Cisco's stuff to Sutherland Mansion last night." Barry replied, "We all just woke up."

"I bet the lot of you were drinking… Why don't we all have dinner tonight… invite Joe, Iris and Wally… Hell, I'll even cook!" Harry said.

Caitlin went up and checked Harry's temperature with the back of her hand. "Are you feeling okay, Harry?"

"I swear… we're gone for one day and he goes insane without us." Cisco joked.

"What the hell, family dinner at mine and Cisco's house tonight…" Astrid said. "But maybe we should go easy on the wine this time… we don't want to sleep through tomorrow too…"

"I'll call them now!" Barry replied.


	10. Chapter 10

Joe, Iris and Wally joined the entire team for Harry's celebratory dinner at Sutherland Mansion.

"I brought the wine!" Joe declared, "So, I guess this is also an engagement dinner at the same time! I know that I didn't say it earlier… but congratulations to you both." He said to Astrid and Cisco.

"Thanks." They both said in unison. "I'll get the wine glasses!" Astrid said as she disappeared to go and get them.

"I'm still finding it hard to get used to it all." Cisco said, blushing.

"Hey... just wait until the two of you have kids... " Joe replied, "The hell that they put you through... I'm still getting used to it."

"That'd be really interesting to see..." Barry said, "You and Astrid with kids." He looked over at Caitlin, "Do you ever think we'll have kids?" he asked her.

Caitlin gave a polite smile, "we never know what the future might hold."

Iris looked over at Caitlin and smiled, "Barry a dad? Now that I'd love to see... I wonder if they would be as dorky as he was growing up." she said.

"Hey, dorks are pretty cute." Caitlin said with a grin, kissing Barry on the cheek.

"I second that notion! Astrid said, arriving with a tray of fancy wine glasses, "I'm marrying the cutest dork of them all!" She placed the glasses down on the table and gave Cisco a kiss on the mouth.

"And no offense to all you other ladies..." Cisco replied, "But I'm marrying the hottest woman of all!"

"Okay... Let's drink before we bring up Harry's perfectly cooked roast!" Barry said, as Dr Wells begun pouring the wine.

"Does that mean I can have some wine?" Wally asked.

"No!" they all said at once.

"It's alright, Wally." Harry said, "Try this… don't worry, detective… there's no alcohol in it." Harry handed Wally a drink with the speed serum mixed in. He watched as Wally consumed the entire drink, "Man… it takes like juice… what's so special about that?" Wally complained.

Harry grinned, but said nothing.

The rest of the dinner went well, but as Wally fell asleep in his bed that night, his heart began racing far too fast for his own body. He dreamt of running faster and faster than he ever had before. In his dreams, he could even run faster than… the Flash.


End file.
